Window enclosure



y 1951 l. w. GREENBERG 2,562,235

wmnow ENCLOSURE Original Filed June 20, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

/ 0C/(/ 1 ,xh/

ATTORNEYS l. W. GREENBERG July 31, 1951 WINDOW ENCLOSURE 2 Sheets-$het 2 Original Filed June 20, 1942 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYfv Patented July 31, 1951 LINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW ENCLOSURE Irving W. Greenberg, New York, N. Y.

Substituted for. abandoned. application. Serial no.

44?,7-56, June 20, 1942. This, application Angust8,'1950., SerialNo. 178,215, 7

1 Claim. (01. 98. -88.

My invention relates to a new and improved black-out and. protective enclosure for windows.

This application is a refiling of my abandoned application Serial No. 442,756, filed June 20, 1942, and allowed April 9,1945.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an enclosure whereby a room can be brightly illuminated while the protected windows are kept open, and while confining the light to the room, so that adequate illumination and ventilation can be secured and the danger from shattered glass is minimized; and to provide an enclosure which can be readily opened and closed, thus eliminating the necessity for curtains, blinds, shatter-proof glass, etc.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which can be simply and cheaply constructed, and which can be made of plywood, hard board, and other light and readily available material.

Other objects will be stated in the annexed description and drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the improved device, with the louvers in open' position. In this view, the representation of part of the device has been broken away. 1

Fig, 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. I.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the louvers in closed position.

Fig; 4 is a partial sectional view on the line j da-4 012 Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fi 4.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the window, showing the ventilator at the bottom of the window frame. In this view, the protective louver-device is not shown.

The device can be applied to any window-frame 'F. It is illustrated as applied to a conventional slidable in the frame F. Fig. 4 shows the outer? sash 3 in its top closed position, and the inner sash 4 in partially raised position.

The window-frame F of the building is pro- "vided with a supplemental frame Fa, which is preferably made of plywood, hard board, etc...-

although it can be'made of -metal or any suitable material. Said supplemental frame Fa is connected to the window-frame Fin any suitable manner, as by fastening devices 5. Said supplemental frame Fa has vertical walls 6, a top hori- 2 zontal wall 1, and a bottom wall 8. Fig; 4, shows the bottom wall of the frame 2 of the inner sash A at the levelof saidbottomwall 8 of frame Fa.

The horizontal wall 9 of an upstanding ventilato'r'panel i0 is fixed to the bottom wall of the frame F. Members 9 and II] can be integral or they can be suitably connected.v The width of members 9 and Ill is equal to the width of the space between the inner lateral surfaces of the vertical walls of frame F, in order to provide a light-tight fit. The top edge of ventilator-panel it is located above and between the bottom edges of the inwardly-inclined ventilator panel Mia and of" the vertical ventilator panel 14. These panels Mia and M are transversely spaced depending panels. Said panels Illa and M are integral with a horizontal panel [2, or suitably connected to said panel l2. The lateral edges of members, Hla, t2 and M also fit light-tight'between the lateral inner vertical walls. of frame F. Members 9 and ill constitute a. lower ventilator unit, and members Illa, I2 and i4 constitute an upper ventilator un-it. Said units are made. of plywood, hardboard, or any other material. The material of said ventilator units is, preferably, but not necessarily, opaque and non-reflecting. Hence, when the lower window is raised to the level which is shown in Fig. 4', air can flow between the respective ventilator. units rearwardly into the room, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 4,, while the passage of light out of the room below the bottom wall 8 is prevented by said ventilator units, if they aremade of opaque material, which is, pref erably, but not necessarily, non-reflecting. The

"-- panel l2 of the upper ventilator unit can be fixed to the wall 8, or to the inner lateral faces of the vertical; walls of frame F.

A plurality of louvers t5 are pivotally connected to the adjacent faces of walls 1 and 8 of frame Fa, by respective pivot pins 16-. These pivot pins are located in superposed pairs, so that each louver. is turnable about a vertical axis. Each said louver: is ,turnably connected at its outer vertical edget'o the horizontal walls 'I- and 8. The

' top: and bottom edge of each louver I5 is preferably fixed to a reinforcing edge-member H, and each pivot pin it is fixed to a respective edgemember IT, as shown in Fig. 4,

Each louver I5 is connected by a hinge l9 to a bar l8. Said bar It is located in the inside of the room which is to be protected, and at the inner edges of said louvers l5. Said bar l8 can be moved to-and-fro horizontally by hand so that the louvers l5 canbe turned in respective vertical planes which are perpendicular to the common 2I to one of the louvers.

vertical plane of frame F and of frame Fa, or said louvers I5 can be turned to make an angle other than 90 with said plane, in order partially to close the opening which is protected by said louvers. to any desired extent. Said louvers are always located in respective vertical planes which are parallel to each other, in this embodiment. Said louvers I5 can be turned to the closing position shown in Fig. 3, in which the adjacent respective vertical edges of the middle louver and of the end louvers overlap each other and said louvers abut each other at their vertical edgeportions, so as to provide light-tight lap joints. I have shown three louvers in the drawings, but I can use any number of such louvers, depending on the width of the frame F, or upon the widths of the respective louvers. The end vertical edges of the end louvers I5 are overlapped by the respective inner lateral extensions of the angular vertical walls 6 of the supplemental frame Fa when the louvers are in closing position. Hence, when the louvers are in the closing position of Fig. 3, a light-tight enclosure is provided, in combination with the ventilator units. The frame Fa and the louvers I5 and the other parts of the device are preferably, but not necessarily, made of opaque and non-reflecting material. Said material can be opaque without being nonreflecting. A latch 20 is connected by pivot pin When the louvers are in the closing position of Fig. 3, said latch 20 can be releasably secured to the adjacent vertical wall 6 of frame Fa. Said frame Fa and the closed louvers I5 prevent shattered glass from flying into the room.

The improved device can be simply and cheaply constructed in any room, so that industrial buildings and other buildings can be easily protected. The device can be used to control the entrance of sunlight into a room, as an efiicient substitute for the ordinary Venetian blind. When it is not necessary to use the device for black-out purposes, it can be made either of opaque material, or of material which has somelight-permeability.

The upper sash 4 of the window can be opened to any desired extent, in which case the ventilation above the bottom wall 8 of the frame Fa is controlled wholly by the louvers I5.

Fig. 3 shows a close fit between the left-hand vertical edge of the left-hand louver I5 and the respective wall 5 of frame Fa, when the louvers are closed. The right-hand side of frame Fa can be shaped to provide a like close fit with the right-hand edge of the right-hand louver.

The device can also be readily installed in new buildings, as original equipment.

When a black-out is not necessary, the ventilator units can be made of transparent glass. and the louvers can be made of any desired light-permeability.

The panels IIla and I 4 are transversely spaced, so that panel Illa is located inwardly of panel I4. The top edge of the upstanding panel I0 is at least at the same level as the bottom edge of either of the depending and transverselyspaced panels Illa and I4, The top edge of upstanding panel I0 is preferably at a higher level than the bottom edges of both of the depending panels la and I4.

It is obvious that the ventilating units could have their positions reversed without departing from the scope of the claims, so that panel I0 in such case would be a depending panel and panels Illa and I4 would then be upstanding panels.

As shown in Fig. 3, the end vertical edges of the end louvers I5 are spaced from the respective vertical walls 6 of frame Fa, when said louvers are in respective closing positions. Since the horizontal walls 'I and 8 of the frame Fa have vertical extensions which overlap the respective horizontal edges of each louver I5, as shown in Fig. 1, and since the adjacent vertical edges of the louvers overlap each other in closing position, the above combination makes it possible to construct the device very simply and cheaply, without closely fitting the parts, and also to operate the louvers with a minimum of friction and binding. The parts can therefore be manufactured of opaque plywood, hardboard, etc., which is preferably made flame-resistant or fire-proof.

When the louvers are open, said louvers are sufiiciently spaced to provide easy access to the windows, so that said windows can be opened and closed by hand.

If desired, a ventilating device could be also provided at the top of the window-opening, similar to the ventilating device which is shown at the bottom of said window opening in Fig. 4.

The invention is not limited to mounting the louvers for respective turning movements around respective vertical axes.

The light will be efficiently intercepted if, the free edge of panel I!) is in substantially the same as the free edge of either panel IIla or panel I4. Hence, when I state in the claim that the top edge of the upstanding panel is substantially at the-same level as the bottom edge of one or both of the depending panels, I include the staggered relation of the top edge of panel Ill to the bottom edge of panel Illa or panel I4, or relative to the bottom edges of both panels Illa and I4.

I have shown apreferred embodiment of my invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

An enclosure for use in association with the window opening of a building, said window opening having a window frame and having respective front and rear sashes which are vertically movable relative to said window frame to close the opening of said window frame and to open the opening of said window frame, an inner frame which is nested in said window frame, said inner frame being located rearwardly of said rear sash, said rear sash making sliding contact with said inner frame, said inner frame having a bottom wall which is located above the bottom wall of said window frame, a ventilating. member fixed to the bottom wall of said inner frame and depending therefrom, another ventilating member fixed to the bottom wall of said window frame and extending upwardly from said bottom wall of said window frame, said ventilating members being spaced from each other and being constructed and located to permit air to pass between them when the bottom of said rear sash is located above said bottom wall of said window frame, said ventilating members being also shaped and located to obstruct the passage of light transversely into the building between the respective bottom walls of said window frame and said inner frame, a plurality of louvers which are turnably connected to said inner frame by vertical pivot pins, the rear edges of said louvers being pivotally connected to a manipulating bar, said louvers being movable to overlapping positions in which they close the opening of said window frame, said louvers being located wholly in said inner frame when said louvers are in said closing position.

IRVING W. GREEN'BERG.

REFERENCES CITED 5 The following references are of record in the file of this :patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10 108,557 Boyd Oct. 25, 1870 854,033 Glazier et a1 May 21, 1907 934,460 Peterson Sept. 21, 1909 981,635 Glass Jan. 17, 1911 1,052,812 Garland Feb. 11, 1913 15 1,110,447 Lindsey Sept. 15, 1914 Number Number Name Date Cammann Oct. 19, 1920 Hanson Feb. 22, 1921 Tregillus Oct. 14, 1924 Denesha Oct. 21, 1924 Linz Apr. 3, 1928 Shortlidge Nov. 3, 1936 Fisk Aug. 2, 1938 Copeland Apr. 4, 1939 Bishop July 21, 1942 Huff July 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1911 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1929 

